KC-area teams advance to semifinals in three Kansas volleyball state brackets

Olathe Northwest played up to its No. 1 seed and near-perfect record Friday evening in the Kansas 6A state volleyball tournament at the Kansas Expocentre.

The Ravens, 41-1, won all three pool play matches and advanced to Saturday’s semifinals with one purpose. They want to bring home a state title after coming so close last year, falling to Olathe East in the finals.

Olathe Northwest coach Barry Lenth pointed out that nine of the players on last year’s team returned for this season.

“Taking second last year means we are going to come out even harder this year,” said Olathe Northwest junior Audrey Fisher. “We really want to claim the title this year. We have worked really hard all year.”

In pool play, the Ravens ripped through their first two matches, beating Wichita Northwest 25-6, 25-9 and then Garden City 25-15, 25-16.

“I think we played really well,” Fisher said. “I think a big aspect of that was passing. The passes were great so our setter wasn’t running all over the court and Tess (Reid) put up some great sets and I think the hitters did their job.”

Blue Valley North, the No. 4 seed, had a similar run in its first two matches, knocking off Garden City 25-11, 25-11 and Wichita Northwest 25-22, 25-13.

The Mustangs’ success created a bit of drama entering the last match in Pool 1. By winning their first two matches, Olathe Northwest and Blue Valley North had already locked up a spot in the semifinals. The two teams were playing for the right to be the top team coming out of their pool.

Olathe Northwest wasted little time showing the Mustangs that it was the best team Friday. The Ravens won the first set 25-14 and the second set 25-18.

“I think it was big to play well against Blue Valley North,” Lenth said. “They (Mustangs) play in the same league as a couple of the teams in the other pool and so it gave us a chance to kind of send a message to the other teams.”

Olathe Northwest’s semifinal match will be at 2 p.m. Saturday and it will play Blue Valley Northwest. Blue Valley North, 27-13, will also play at 2 p.m. in the semifinals and will take on Blue Valley West, which has a 38-4 record.

Class 5A: Aquinas, St. James could meet in final

In the first match on Friday at the Kansas Class 5A volleyball state tournament, St. Thomas Aquinas quickly established that it was better than its No. 7 seed.

Aquinas, the 5A defending state champion, beat No. 2 seed Shawnee Heights 25-19, 25-17, at the Kansas Expocentre.

“We are the underdogs, said Aquinas 6-foot-5 senior hitter Regan Pittman. “We came in and showed them we have the confidence and the players to do it. We came out scrappy. Everyone played well. Everyone was on. It helped a lot with our confidence.”

Aquinas went on to win its next two matches, defeating Lansing 25-23, 25-15,and Emporia 25-19, 25-23.

The way the Saints won the second set against Emporia was significant because they showed their determination when they trailed 22-18. Instrumental in the comeback was Pittman, who had several kills in the late surge that saw Aquinas score seven of the last eight points.

“We have always been able to work our way out of holes,” Pittman said. “We just don’t need to get ourselves in holes.”

Aquinas, 32-9, will play Newton, the second-place team in Pool I, at 10 a.m. on Saturday in a state semifinal.

“That was our goal coming into today — to put us in the best position for tomorrow,” Aquinas coach Sarah Cretors said on Friday. “I’m glad we were able to accomplish that.”

Aquinas’ three pool-play victories mean the Saints won’t have to play No. 1-seed St. James Academy until the championship match, if both teams advance. If it happens, it will be a rematch of last year’s Class 5A state title match.

“Our goal from the beginning of the year was to get back to where we were last year,” Cretors said. “We definitely had some growing pains, but I think the way we came out against Heights this morning was proof of how hard we have worked all year.”

St. James Academy looked to be in championship form on Friday during pool play, beating Maize 25-8, 25-14; Newton 25-11, 25-13; and Goddard-Eisenhower 25-12, 25-8.

“I think we did really well today,” said St James senior hitter Audriana Fitzmorris. “Every single person in every single position did their role and that was really neat to see.”

St. James, 44-1, wants to reclaim the Class 5A state title. The Thunder will face Shawnee Heights at 10 a.m. Saturday in the other state semifinal match.

“We are a senior-laden team,” St. James coach Nancy Dorsey said. “All those girls were on that team and they remember what that felt like last year and they don’t want to feel that again. I definitely think they are hungry.”

Class 4A Division I: Miege, Tonganoxie and Louisburg in semifinals

Bishop Miege volleyball coach Gwen Pike might have preferred her team continue its dominating run on Friday at the Kansas Class 4A Division I state tournament in Salina, Kan.

The Stags looked to be cruising into Saturday’s state semifinals, when Louisburg threw up a pretty strong road block in the final pool play match of the day.

That, however, didn’t bother Pike all that much.

“Our season’s been like that, because we’ve seen some really good opponents and our league is extremely tough,” Pike said. “We’ve lost some close games and won some close games, and that’s really prepared us. I think it was great to play a match like that with Louisburg, where you fight really hard for every point. That match was good for us.”

Miege prevailed 25-19, 17-25, 25-16 in its final match with Louisburg and the win capped a 3-0 day for the Stags, who are on a quest for a third straight 4A Division I state title. Miege opened Friday with a 25-12, 25-7 win over Chanute and then rolled past Andover Central 25-7, 25-19, before outlasting Louisburg.

The match against Louisburg began with a familiar feel to the day’s earlier routs, as Miege got a pair of kills from Allie Strong during an 8-0 run that opened up a quick 8-1 lead. From there, however, it was a battle.

Louisburg roared back and eventually grabbed a 15-13 lead on a Sophie McMullen ace and Miege hitting error. The Wildcats were still up 17-16, before Miege closed with a 9-2 run to win the first game.

The second game followed a similar script, only with a twist ending. Miege jumped out to a 6-3 lead, only to see the Wildcats come back. This time, Louisburg stayed on the attack and rode six kills and a block from 6-foot-5 senior Madison Turner for a 25-17 victory.

Louisburg fell behind 5-1 in the third game, before forging ties at 5-5 and 6-6. But once Miege took a 9-6 lead on three straight kills by Strong, the Stags never let up. Leading 14-12, Miege went on a 5-0 run, sparked by two more kills and a block from Strong.

“I knew it would be a much tighter game than we had in the previous two matches,” Pike said. “The best part was that we recovered and won that third game.”

Despite the loss, Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said her team should draw plenty in taking a game from Miege for the first time.

“To go three sets with them should give us a lot of confidence,” Compliment said. “Our girls came together and played well and I was proud with how we battled back and showed a lot of energy and stayed aggressive.”

In Saturday’s state semifinals, Miege, 30-11, will take on Tonganoxie, 29-12, which went 2-1 and took runner-up in the other pool. The Chieftains beat Andale 25-17, 25-22 to start the day, rallying from a 16-1 deficit in the second game. Tonganoxie then handled Wellington 25-18, 25-11, before falling to McPherson 25-12, 25-23.

Louisburg, 30-11, finished as runner-up to Miege in its pool, taking wins over Andover Central (25-19, 25-23) and Chanute (25-15, 25-12). Louisburg will meet McPherson (37-7) in the other state semifinal.

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 5:28 PM with the headline "KC-area teams advance to semifinals in three Kansas volleyball state brackets."